Target 2
by zoey04
Summary: Sequel to Target. The serial killer returns with a new target in mind. yaoi. duel POVs. please r&r.
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! Sequel! XD I know the title is boring and unoriginal, but I couldn't think of anything better... This one isn't going to be quiet as long as the first one, but oh well. I think it turned out good... So here you are! Please enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

Duo POV

It had been a week since we had saved Heero from that goddamned basement. He was healing very fast and the doctor was going to take off his bandages today. As for the killer, we hadn't heard a single thing from him. We had taps on major cities all over Japan and even in Korea and China. No sign of him anywhere, which really worried me and completely freaked out Heero, although he'd never admit it or show it.

I was sitting on the floor in the back corner with my laptop in my lap and files spread all over the floor. I had completely put off all my cases after we had rescued Heero and now I had a lot of catching up to do. But I was only working on them while Heero was asleep. Especially the case with the serial killer. I was very careful not to mention the case in his presence. His PTSD wasn't as unstable as it used to be. For the first few days, it had been triggered by just about everything. Now, it was only the things that reminded him of the basement and the killer that triggered it.

Right now Heero was asleep, which was the only reason I dared even bring his case file into the room. All of Heero's crime scene pictures were spread all around me, his bloody body surrounding me. Whoever had been snapping the photos had caught one of me kissing Heero. For some reason, I had wanted to keep the photo. Even though Heero was bloody, broken, and hanging from the ceiling by his wrists, it was still our first kiss, and I couldn't help but cherish it. It was the only copy of that picture and I kept it in my own personal file.

Heero's heart monitor started to quicken it's pace, telling me that he was starting to wake up. I quickly stacked up all the photos, shoved them into the file, then shoved the file to the bottom of the stack. I flipped open another file and pretended to be working on that one. I noticed my picture still on my knee and quickly picked it up and shoved it in the inside pocket of my jacket.

"Duo?" Heero's voice asked.

I heard the bed shift and saw Heero sit up, one arm wrapped around his midsection. I pushed my laptop to the side and jumped up.

"Heero! You need to stay lying down," I chastised, pushing him gently back down onto the bed.

He suddenly snagged my jacket and pulled me down on top of him. I caught myself before I landed on his still wounded body. He lifted his head a little to close the distance between our lips.

"Much better," he smiled as he broke it off and I settled down on my side next to him. "What were you doing?"

"Just going over some cases that I completely put off until now," I answered with a grin.

"Don't get fired because of me," he frowned.

"Une wouldn't dare fire me," I joked with a smile. "She needs me too much."

The door opened and Heero's doctor walked in. I quickly sat up and made to leave, but Heero's hand fisted in my jacket, keeping me with him. The doctor ignored me as he started to check Heero's wounds. Heero still flinched a little when the wounds caused by the pliers were touched. I hadn't seen them since I rescued him from the room, and even though I knew they wouldn't go away completely, I hoped the muscle tissue would grow back eventually.

The doctor started to unwrap his bandages and I watched nervously. Heero kept his eyes on the ceiling, his grip tightening in my jacket, not watching as the doctor pulled off his bandages. He had two long, ragged, pink scars in an X pattern across his chest along with a bunch of smaller ones littering his body. And as for the two holes in his stomach? They must have put in skin and muscle grafts because the holes were filled and resembled nasty circular scars. I reached over and ran the tips of my fingers across the slightly indented circles. Heero shivered under my touch and looked down at his stomach.

"These have healed perfectly," his doctor smiled. "None of these scars will ever go away, but at least they are healing properly. As for the wounds on your legs though… you'll have to remain in bed another week. The nerve cords were damaged pretty bad, so if you tried to walk now, it wouldn't work so well."

Heero groaned, lowing his head back into the pillow.

"Don't feel so bad, Mr. Yuy. You have been healing quite magnificently. I've never seen someone heal so fast," his doctor reassured him.

He wasn't buying it. His mouth was tight and he closed his eyes, breathing deeply. I waited impatiently for the doctor to leave before I leaned over and kissed him lightly. He startled slightly under me, but then eased into the embrace.

"He's right, Heero," I whispered when I pulled away from him. "You are healing really fast."

"Hn," he grunted.

His hands reached up under my jacket to pull me closer to him. One of his hands brushed against the picture and I immediately froze. Heero noticed and tried to snag the picture out of my pocket. I got my hand on it before he could flip it over and I held it tightly. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What's the picture of?"

"Nothing," I answered a little too quickly.

"Is it a picture of a secret lover?" he questioned sarcastically, one eyebrow raised.

"No! Of course not! I don't… It's just…"

"Then why can't I see it?"

"Uhm… It's a… I just…" I didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"Is it a picture of me?"

"Yes," I answered quietly.

"Do I really take that bad of a picture?"

"No, well yes… but not like that… It's just…" I exhaled, then released the photo. There was no way to get out of it now. Better he saw it now, then I could burn it when he asked me to.

He flipped the picture over slowly and I waited for the metal break, the PTSD to kick in. But, he just looked at it. Then, he surprised me by removing his hand from my side and lightly brushing his fingertips over the smooth laminate.

"I'm sorry… It's just our first kiss and I… I don't know why, but I guess it's just a little special to me. I know you don't like it, but…" I rambled.

"It's too bad that it took me getting tortured and nearly killed for us to finally express our feeling towards each other," he sighed, handing me back the photo.

"Yeah," I managed. He had caught me completely off guard. It had never taken much. Just the mention of handcuffs, or restraints, or knives, or basements, had sent him into complete psychological breakdowns. Now, he had just looked at a picture of the actual torture and all he could think about was our poor dating skills. "I'll go shred it."

"No," he surprised me yet again. "Keep it. I can see it means a lot to you. I don't mind."

I sighed. "I just wish our first kiss hadn't been under such… extreme circumstances."

"Yeah, me too," I smiled.

As I slid the picture back into my pocket, he pulled me back down to lay next to him. He had been very dependent of my presence ever since the incident, but he was never going to admit it. And I didn't question it either. I just complied, knowing that it comforted him having me close to him. And I didn't mind at all.

"Knock knock!" Quatre's voice called from the doorway.

"Hey Quatre," I smiled at him.

"I have— Oh, hey Heero. I didn't know you were awake," he said nervously, trying to inconspicuously hide the file he was holding behind his back. It was probably Heero's case file. "You got your bandages off? That's great!"

"Hn," Heero grunted, self-consciously pulling up the blankets over his scars.

"Well… I just came to see how you were," he lied. "Oh… and I brought your mail. Your inbox was getting pretty full…" he told us, holding up a stack of mail.

And apparently mail was another thing to add to Heero's list of PTSD triggers. His body immediately tensed and the arm he had wrapped absentmindedly around my waist constricted uncomfortably. Unfortunately, the list was growing pretty long and the list of distractions was pretty short. I knew Heero didn't like when we displayed our affection in front of people, but there were very few options at this point as he began to shiver, his eyes wide. I took his face in my hands and crushed my lips to his before he went into a complete breakdown. He fell into the touch immediately, and once he came back completely, I released him. He blushed and uttered an apology to Quatre under his breath.

"Well…" Quatre fidgeted uncomfortably and somewhat apologetically. "I'll leave this outside."

He left the room and I saw him drop the stack of mail in the box next to the door meant for medical charts and tests. When I turned back to Heero, he had a look of embarrassment, apology, and shame on his face.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," I told him as I sat up.

His hand fisted in my jacket, keeping me with him. "Where are you going?"

"Uh…" I tried to think of how to say I was checking the mail without setting him off again. "I just want to see what Quatre gave us."

He nodded and released me. I walked out of the room and took the mail out of the box. I walked a little ways down the hall and out of Heero's sight before going through it, knowing that he had probably been watching me.

Most of it was file requests either being denied or accepted, mission reports, mission requests, a few get well soon cards for Heero, and case files needing lead investigators. I ignored everything work related, not needing anything more on my plate. That left me with the get well soon cards and one plain white envelope. I opened all the get well soon cards as protocol, making sure he got nothing from the killer, because they did that sometimes. They were all normal. One from Sally, one from Trowa, and some others from other agents I recognized. I turned my attention to the plain envelope addressed to me with no return address. I had a strange sense of foreboding as I turned it over and opened it.

I nearly dropped the letter when I opened it, revealing 'You're next, Agent Duo Maxwell' written in a familiar messy scrawl. But, unlike every other letter this guy left, it had a few more words down at the bottom. 'P.S. I'm not done with Agent Heero Yuy'.

Suddenly, I wasn't so worried for my safety, but for Heero's. I ran quickly back down the hall and skidded into Heero's room. Content that he was still there and alive, I pulled out my cell and called Une.

"We need a security detail down here now," I demanded the second she answered.

"What for?" she asked, slightly worried.

"Heero isn't safe," I told her simply, hanging up the phone.

"What's going on?" Heero asked as he sat up, one arm around his midsection.

I didn't want to tell him for fear of how he would react, but I needed too. He needed to know that the killer was back. "The killer sent me a letter."

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**Ohdang... XD So? Please review and I'll updated as soon as possible! Thank you XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I wasn't expecting so many reviews for this one! That made me feel loved XD Thanks to all of you who reviewed and heres the next chapter :)**

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Chapter 2

Heero POV

I was aware of the monitor on my heart accelerating and my breathing shortening. Duo was next? All the memories of what I had endured, all the pain filled moments, flashed through my head and I thought of Duo undergoing all of that. No. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let that happen.

Duo stepped towards me and took my hand. "Don't worry, Heero. I won't let that jackass get anywhere near you."

I shook my head. He had misunderstood my panic. I'd much rather that the killer came after me again, than come after Duo. I'd gladly endure all of that pain and suffering a thousand times over to spare Duo from it.

"So… he named you next?" I asked tentatively, my voice shaking, not sure I wanted the answer.

"Yes, but… he added something to the letter," he admitted.

"What did he say?" I asked him.

"That he… that he wasn't… done with you," he murmured, watching me carefully for a sign of a reaction.

I clamped down on the PTSD threatening to lash out. Duo was too close to let it take control. I called on all the techniques that councilor had shown me to hold it back. I couldn't think about what might happen to me. I had to think about keeping Duo safe. I had to concentrate on something else, something that won't stir up a metal break. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop from tightening my grip on Duo's hand. I fought the urges to lash out, to remove any possible threat that my PTSD insisted was there.

"We need to get you a security detail," I forced.

"Well I've already called one in for you, so I guess they can watch us both," he reassured me, but sounded like he wasn't too worried about himself. "Uhm, Heero? I think you've cut off circulation to my fingers…"

"Sorry," I apologized quickly and forced my fingers to let go of their death grip on Duo.

"You don't need you worry, Heero. We're gonna get this guy. He won't get within a mile of this hospital before we catch him," he promised me.

I just nodded. He was completely misunderstanding.

It was another about ten minutes before there was a knock on the door and Duo went to talk to the three heavily armed men in Preventers uniforms. They stood just outside the door so I couldn't hear what they were saying. Duo pointed to a few places and was talking hurriedly, obviously nervous. The man I guessed to be the commanding officer pulled out his radio and began to talk to whoever was on the other side. Then he pointed to one of his men, then pointed in the room. The agent nodded and walked into my room, taking up a position just inside the doorway. The second man mimicked his position, only he was on the outside of the door. They did make me slightly uncomfortable, but I locked down on that, forcing it to the back of my mind. These men were here to protect me, but more importantly, protect Duo. And it also helped that I knew the agent posted in my room. I had trained him and set him up with his commanding officer when he first joined the force. Since we were his first friends inside Preventers, he was close to us and would make sure Duo stayed safe.

Speaking of him… Where did he go? I couldn't see him outside the glass and he hadn't come back into my room. My heart immediately started to accelerate as I sat up and looked out of the glass.

"Is everything alright, sir?" the soldier asked me, looking a little nervous.

"Where is Agent Maxwell?" I asked him.

"He's running a perimeter with the Captain," he answered.

"He needs someone with him at all times," I demanded, then continued when he raised an eyebrow at me. "He was named the next target."

The soldiers eyes widened slightly, then he nodded sharply, pulling out his radio.

"Captain? We need a watch on Agent Maxwell."

"We're a little low on men. Why does he need a watch?" a voice crackled over the radio.

"He was named this guys next target," the soldier responded.

"Well, we don't have any spare men, but as long as he stays within the perimeter, he should be fine. We have men posted at every entrance. No one gets in or out without proper ID. And that goes double for you, Agent Kendal. You check everyone's credentials, even if you know them. That includes Agent Maxwell.

"Yes sir."

At that moment, Duo returned, flashed his ID at the two guards, then entered the room. I let out a relieved sigh and relaxed back into the pillows, listening to the slow of my heartbeat.

"It's secure," he told me, then looked back at the guard. "You told him I was the next target? I heard Kendal and the Captain talking about me over the radio."

"Of course," I answered. "You are in as much danger as I am."

He nodded and then looked back out the window as my doctor walked by. Duo hurried to catch up to him. I watched as the doctor brushed Duo off, seeming in a hurry, and pointed at something just out of view of the glass wall. Duo nodded, then headed over to whatever the doctor had pointed him to.

Quatre then showed up, pulled out his ID, then stuck his head in the door.

"You guys beat me to the punch," he smiled, but I could tell it was forced and that he was worried.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"We had a spotting of our guy crossing the border back into our jurisdiction a few hours ago, which means they gave me back the case. I had called in a security detail for you, but Une told me that you already had one. As to why, nobody told me," he frowned.

"The killer named Duo next," I told him, looking down at my hands and trying to fight the PTSD. "In the letter he also said that he was coming back for me. Duo was more worried about me than himself, so he called in a security detail on me. I told them that Duo's the guy's next target, so hopefully they'll watch him as well."

Quatre nodded, also looking worried. "Noted. Do you have the letter?"

"I think it's over on that counter. If not, Duo has it."

Quatre walked over to the back counter and found it. He pulled out a pair of tweezers and an evidence bag, then slipped it in. He read it through the bag and then looked around, a frown on his face.

"Where's Duo?" he asked.

I froze and the machine beeping in time to my heart started to beep faster. "He should be right out there in the hall," I responded.

Quatre walked over to the glass wall and looked out. His frown deepened and he opened the door and stepped out. My heart was beating erratically and painfully in my chest. Duo was just gone for a moment right? He couldn't have gone too far, and that wasn't nearly enough time for the killer to grab him… right? I watched Quatre jog down the hall, hand on the butt of his gun as he frantically looked around and shouted orders to some of the agents. The agents started off towards different parts of the hospital, searching for Duo. After a few painfully long minutes, I was about to rip off my monitors and help look for him, but Quatre returned. He said something to the guard outside the room, then entered my room with a worried expression on his normally cheerful face.

"He's gone."

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**Uh oh... XD Good so far? Well I honestly was getting very into this story. It took a little while to get into it, but once I got to this part, I just flew through it. Please review and I'll update soon! Thank you XD**

**I'll have the next chapter for **Tenshi no Tsubasa** posted in a little bit, I just have to proof read it. Just wanted to let you guys know. XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed and favorited! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3

Duo POV

I saw Heero's doctor walk by and I wanted to ask him how much longer he had to stay in here. It would be much safer for him if we could move him to the Preventers headquarters. There were always top agents there now and the security system was replaced after Heero's kidnapping. And the agent barracks were near impossible to get into unless you were an agent. Heero would be ten times safer there than in here. I ran out of the room to catch up with the doctor.

"Hey, doctor? How much longer does Heero have to be here?" I asked him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"About another week. Maybe longer," he responded.

"Well what's his status?"

"I'm in a hurry, so I don't have time to go over everything. All you need to know is posted up on that board over there," he told me, gesturing to the whiteboard down the hall.

"Thanks," I nodded, and headed down the hall.

I found Heero's name and read his status. It said that he didn't need any more tests and that his scans returned normal. The only issue was his mobility. There was a special note that said his nerve cords were still healing and probably won't be able to take his weight. He could probably leave if we got him a wheelchair. He'd just have to stay in the barracks, but that's where he'd be anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'd go hunt down his doctor as soon as he was free and get him to give me a release form.

A middle aged man in scrubs walked up next to me and seemed to be reading the charts. Something didn't seem right with him. For some reason, I had the feeling that he didn't belong here. I took a look at him from the corner of my eye and noticed he was wearing big black military boots with dirt all over them. Not something typically found on hospital staff. I frowned and was about to ask him for ID, but a gun barrel was suddenly pressed up against my side, confirming my suspicions. His scrubs and his close proximity allowed him to keep it concealed. He pointed up at the board and pretended to be telling me about Heero.

"Come with me and I won't hurt your partner," he hissed under his breath.

"You can't get to him," I hissed back.

The gun barrel pressed deeper into my side.

"I already have. See this?" he asked, pulling what looked like a garage door opener from his pocket. "I set up a bomb under his bed while I was 'checking his vitals'. I have that entire room rigged to blow if you do not cooperate."

I had no choice. I heavily doubted that he could've planted the explosives without anyone knowing, but I couldn't risk the chance that he actually did and that they are active. I exhaled sharply and turned the way he pointed me. He walked right behind me down the hall and towards the emergency exit, his gun pressed into my back the entire way. I opened the door and walked out behind the hospital where a van was waiting. The guy looked around, then loaded me into a van.

"I don't want you to know where we are going so…" he brought up the gun and hit me in the head with it. I was out immediately.

…

I came back to my senses in a dark room. I had know idea where I was, and that was probably exactly what this guy wanted. I took a look around and noticed that the room was completely bare, except for a big box in the far corner. And knowing this guy, I could probably guess what was in it. I was aware of the fact that I was loosing blood flow to my fingers and I looked up to see that I was suspended by my wrists, the same way Heero had been.

Heero… Was he still alive? Had this guy blown those charges? I hoped to god that he had been bluffing and that there wasn't actually a bomb in Heero's room. Something told me, though, that Heero was still alive, that the killer hadn't detonated that bomb.

I saw the man in one corner and the video camera and tripod in the other. The guy was still wearing hospital scrubs, but had put on a hospital issue hoodie and face mask.

"Oh good. You're awake," he smiled at me.

"I don't see how that's good," I blurted before I could stop myself.

Heero was good at keeping his mouth shut in these situations because he kept his mouth shut all the time. But for me… I talked a lot when I was nervous or stressed. I also had a much lower pain tolerance than Mr. Perfect Soldier, so I wasn't going to be able to hold it back like he did. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Well it's good for me," he grinned evilly, pulling a huge knife out of the box.

I shivered as he ran the tip of the blade across the base of my neck, then pressed the blade tighter, drawing blood. He trailed the knife down my chest and to my stomach. That was when I noticed that my shirt was gone.

"I sent the live feed of this tape straight to your boss's and your partner's computer, so they should both be watching this," he informed me, unintentionally giving me information.

When he told me that Heero should be watching this tape right now, he told me without realizing it that he hadn't blown that bomb. So that gave me proof that Heero was alive. But I couldn't get cocky. He probably still had that detonator and it could be long range transmission. But, that was only if the bomb was real. He could still be bluffing. But Heero was alive for now and that alone gave me enough hope to keep fighting and try and figure out a way to get out of here.

Suddenly, he moves the knife to my side and plunges it about an inch and a half into my skin. I gasp in surprise, then a hiss of pain escapes my lips. The killer smiles and starts to twist the blade, scraping at the raw edges of the wound. How Heero had suffered this in silence I couldn't even begin to understand.

He pulled the blade out of my side and licked off the blood. I grimaced and shuddered as he turned away and lugged a huge car battery and a few cables out of the box. I instantly knew what was about to happen. As he approached me to attach the cables, I tried to lift my feet so I could kick him or disarm him. But, my feet were chained to the ground as well.

He laughed. "Thanks to your partner, I've learned that I need to be extra careful dealing with Gundam pilots. I won't make any mistakes this time. You will die. Then I will finish what I started with your partner," he promised me as he attached the jumper cables to the metal chains above my wrists.

"You aren't going to get away with this. You may be smart, but Heero is smarter. He'll find you," I warned him as he connected the second set of cables to the battery and the outlet.

"Well, I caught you didn't I? That means I'm smarter than you, than your precious Heero, than all of those pathetic agents that were supposed to guard you. I've practically already won! The hardest part of this entire thing was actually grabbing you and I accomplished that way too easily. You are dead, Agent Duo Maxwell. And so is your lover, Agent Heero Yuy," he gloated.

He positioned the cables above the battery, then grinned up at me as he completed the circuit. I threw my head back and felt my back arching as the current coursed through me. I couldn't stop the cry of pain and I heard the man laugh.

"Oh, this is going to be so much better than Agent Yuy! At least I can actually get a reaction out of you!"

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**Poor Duo... I feel bad, but it's just so fun to write XD Please review and I'll update by tomorrow... hopefully... XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews! Now back to Heero! XD Enjoy!**

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Chapter 4

Heero POV

"What do you mean, he's gone?" I demanded.

My heart started picking up the pace, threatening to give out. Duo wasn't gone, I tried to reassure myself. He probably went off to check something or take care of something. He'd be back. He'd be back…

"He isn't with any of the officers and he isn't anywhere to be seen," Quatre admitted.

"The guy got him…" I murmured.

Images of Duo going through the torture I did raced through my mind, stirring up my PTSD. I wasn't going to let that happen to Duo. I wasn't going to let him suffer through that like I did. I couldn't stop the PTSD as it burned its way to the surface. I directed all that building stress and energy at my new mission though, then instead of falling into a mental break. My new mission was to find Duo, then kill the son of a bitch that had taken him.

I pulled all the IVs and monitors off of me and jumped to my feet.

"Heero—"

"Don't tell me not to do this, Quatre. I have too," I snapped at him.

My legs struggled to hold my weight, but the adrenaline pumping through my body made it easier to put that aside and hurry out of the room with Quatre right on my heals. I headed straight down the hallway and towards the security offices. Once I found the camera monitors, I shoved the cop sitting there out of the way and pulled up all outside security cameras.

"Hey, what the hell—" the guard started.

"Preventer agents," Quatre cut him off.

I scanned through the video recordings until a saw a van pull to the back of the facilities. A man stepped out of the van wearing hospital issue scrubs and a grey hoodie. The man looked around and I caught a glimpse of his face.

"T-That's the guy," I told Quatre, pointing at the screen, trying to fight off the PTSD that was building up at the sight of him.

The agent at the door stopped him and I read his lips as he asked for ID. The man fumbled around in his pockets, then shrugged, telling him he must've left it at home. The agent nodded and let him in. The man suddenly returned and asked the agent something. But I couldn't tell what because his back was to the camera. The agent nodded and followed him into the hospital, leaving his post unattended.

"I want that agent's badge number!" I growled, clenching my hands into fists.

Quatre frowned and nodded as we continued to watch the clip, fast forwarding until the man returned with Duo through the unattended entrance.

"Fight back, Duo… Why aren't you fighting back?" I murmured to the screen.

"Look," Quatre pointed at the man's left hand. "That's why he's not fighting back."

The man was pressing a gun up to Duo's back with his left hand. I clearly remembered my torturer being left handed. I found myself unconsciously rubbing at my right cheek where he had punched me. But then I saw something. I froze the tape and pointed a shaky finger to the man's right hand.

"Is that…" I swallowed hard and tried again. "Is that a detonator?"

He leaned closer to look, then his eyes widened and he ran out of the room.

"Get the bomb squad here now and have them sweep the entire building, starting with Agent Yuy's room!" I heard Quatre yell at the agents.

I turned my attention back to the tape just in time to see the man pistol whip Duo. I cringed as Duo's unconscious body fell and the man stuffed him into the back of the van. I panned the video out, watching for the direction the van went.

"He took a right out of the back of the lot, Quatre!" I called out into the hall. "Then the next left!"

"Got it!"

"Duo should still have his cell and it should still be on. Can we track it?"

"Even if we could, you know how well that worked out last time," Quatre pointed out, walking back into the room and popping out the memory chip, then headed back for the door.

"Oh right," I exhaled, remembering how the guy had diverted my signal so it appeared in the wrong location. "Well we need to do something!" I shouted after him.

I could feel desperation starting to sink in. The adrenaline was leaving my system and my legs weren't going to hold me. I grabbed the free chair and fell back into it, clutching at my stomach as pain shot through it. I tried to force that pain away. I needed to focus my efforts on finding Duo.

"Are you okay, sir?" the security guard asked me as he stood, watching me nervously.

"I'm fine," I brushed him off, trying to force my weight back onto my shaky legs again.

Suddenly, I thought of something. I limped out of the guard room and hurried to catch up to Quatre. I was talking heatedly with an agent and I stepped right in between them, not caring what they were talking about.

"License plate," I said simply.

His eyes widened and he hurriedly snatched a handheld computer from one of the nearby agents. He shoved the memory chip into the computer and pulled up the security feed. He froze it on a perfect shot of the license plate, then zoomed in and processed the image. I grabbed a pen from the nurse's desk we were standing in front of and jotted the series of numbers and letters down on my hand.

"I have the software to run this on my laptop. I'll go run it now," I told him, turning to leave.

Pain seared up my legs as I took a step and they decided that they had had enough and completely gave out beneath me. I gripped the counter to hold myself up as Quatre hurried over to catch me. He pulled my arm up over his shoulders and half led me half dragged me into my room.

"I know you are worried about Duo, but you need to take care of yourself or you are never going to get out of here," Quatre chastised me. "And then what use will you be to him? It was the same exact thing when your positions were reversed. Duo refused to sleep or eat or do anything other than search for you until we located you. I was afraid he was going to pass out when we finally managed to find you."

Quatre moved to open the door, but I stopped him.

"Has the bomb squad secured the room yet?" I asked him.

"No, they haven't. I don't even think they're here yet," he frowned.

He dropped me into the chair just outside the room and called over his shoulder for me to stay where I was as he hurried off. I stood, needing to get my laptop out of the room. My legs were shaky and I needed to brace myself on walls and counters, but I got into the room and grabbed my laptop. I frowned and looking around the room. Where could this guy possibly plant a bomb where nobody, not even I, would know where it was? I dropped to my knees and looked under the bed.

Sure enough, strapped to the bottom of the bed, was a small box. There were all sorts of wires and a single red light telling me it was active and awaiting signal from a detonator. I stood and stumbled around the room, looking for something I could use to disarm the bomb. I found a few syringes in a drawer near the sink. These would work. I squirted out the contents into the sink, then limped back over to the bed and slid up underneath it. Just as I pulled off one of the coverings, exposing the wires, the red light started to flash.

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**Uh oh... So it was hard making Heero freak out... I'm not sure if I did it good enough... XP Well, please review! Thank you :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay back to Duo! Sorry I posted so late. I went golfing, then I went out to dinner... and I procrastinated XD Well thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 5

Duo POV

"So, you never denied that Agent Yuy is your lover," the man pointed out as he ended the circuit.

"He's… just my… partner," I panted, trying to force my heart back into my normal rhythm and failing. I couldn't let him know that I had a relationship with Heero. That was something he could definitely use against me, as well as Heero.

"I'm not sure I believe you, Agent Maxwell," he grinned.

He stood and yanked the cables off of the chains. He put them away, along with the battery, then stood and played with something in his pocket.

"I think you're lying, and I don't like liars," he told me, his good humored expression going completely dark and serious.

"I'm not lying," I lied.

"Well, if he's just a partner to you, then…" he trailed off, pulling the detonator from his pocket. "Then you won't care if I do this?"

His finger tensed on the trigger and I could stop myself.

"No!" I yelled at him, instinctively trying to lunge at him, but the chains held me back.

"See, I knew you were lying," he smiled. "But, unfortunately for you, and Yuy, his time is up. It was supposed to be up a week ago."

His thumb pressed down on the button and my heart stopped. I heard a faint explosion off in the distance. It had been a real bomb. I had made the man detonate it. If I had just been able to shut my mouth, maybe it would've made a difference. Guilt and pain overwhelmed me. I couldn't see straight as it threatened to pull me under. With the stress and external pain of the electric shock and the mental pain of Heero's death, my body was on the verge of a shut down. But I didn't really care. If Heero was dead, then I didn't want to go on living either. I didn't care what this man did to me know.

I couldn't help but noticing something though. I had heard the explosion, so we must've been close to the hospital.

Suddenly, there was a blade in my other side, slowly being pushed deeper and deeper. I cried out in surprise and in pain as the man jerked it roughly to the side, tearing into my flesh. The sudden pain brought me back from the edge of oblivion, which was probably this guy's goal.

"I don't want you passing out on me again. That takes too much time away from the torture," the man explained, confirming my suspicions.

I looked up at him, then spit in his face. The guy was shocked for a moment, then he wiped his face and was completely furious. His left fist connected with my jaw, then he brought it up into my stomach, completely knocking the wind out of me. He backed up to his chest, then drew a small caliber hand gun. He took off the safety and pointed it at me, pulling the trigger and shooting out my right knee. I cried out in pain as the bullet completely shattered my kneecap and tore through the four ligaments protected by it.

Then, he took a rubber tube and gauze out of his box and tied a tourniquet around my leg above me knee. He began to wrap my knee then, and before I could wonder why the hell he even cared, he explained his intentions.

"I don't want you bleeding out before your time is up. So I need to keep your bleeding to a minimal," he growled at me as if he would prefer to watch me bleed out slowly and painfully from a knee wound.

I clenched my teeth against the pain as it seared up my leg. He took a look at the wounds on my sides, then shrugged them off and pulled a large whip out of the box. I couldn't suppress the cringe and the man smiled.

"I really like this one. The pain is stinging and it lingers. I like that," he grinned evilly as he walked around me and cracked the whip at my back.

I arched my back instinctually against the pain, a groan escaping my lips. The pain was a sharp, stinging pain like I had never felt before. I couldn't hold back the whimper as the pain sizzled down the line of my back where the whip had sliced into my skin. The whip cracked again and I cried out as it retraced the first slash, digging into the skin further. He cracked it another five times, crisscrossing my back with the long gashes. Then he walked around me and cracked the whip twice, one immediately followed by the other, leaving me with a bleeding X shaped gash identical to Heero's.

"So I really wish I didn't have to resort to explosives to finally kill Yuy. I would have much rather killed him personally. But you know, I like the thought of explosives. It's a very painful, messy—"

"Shut up!" I snapped at him, glaring daggers at him.

I could see him flinch back a little, but when he realized that I couldn't do anything but glare, he grinned again.

"Let me guess… He told you he loved you or whatnot after you saved him, right?" he asked me.

I just continued to glare at him from under my long bangs, daring him to say anything else about Heero.

"You realize that he doesn't really love you, right? He only _thinks_ he loves you because you saved his life. Well, what does it matter now. He's dead," he laughed.

I didn't want to believe him, but what he was saying had some truth to it. Heero hadn't showed any feelings towards me other than what partners normally would until after I had saved him. Was it true that he didn't really love me? That he only thought he did? It made sense, though, remembering how he never showed any emotion about anything. He was always the 'Perfect Soldier'. Why would that change now? The pain that came with that thought was ten times worse than any physical pain I had ever felt, than what I was feeling right now. I bowed my head and tried to hold back the tears.

"Oh, did I break your heart?" he asked me with faked sympathy.

He walked right up to me and looked up into my face. I looked up, then slammed my forehead into his. His head snapped back and he fell to the ground unconscious. My head stung, but I just shook it off. It was nothing compared to the other pain I was feeling.

"Fuck you," I snarled at his unconscious body.

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**Poor Duo... I liked this chapter XD Please review and tell me if you liked it too! Hey, that rhymed XD**

**I will be posting the next chapter of **Tenshi no Tsubasa** in a minute, just to let you guys know.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay, new chapter XD Sorry I didn't post last night, but here you are. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 6

Heero POV

I hurriedly grabbed my laptop and ran out of the room. I managed grab a doctor walking by and jump behind the nurse's desk just as the bomb went off. It was a small blast, so it stayed contained in the room. The doctor I had pulled out of the way I recognized as my own doctor and he looked me up and down as if I just grown wings.

I stood up quickly, but my legs decided they had had enough and I collapsed back onto the ground. The doctor was fussing over me, muttering something under his breath. I just pushed him aside.

"I'll be fine. Go see if anyone was caught in the blast," I told him and he nodded sharply and left.

"Heero? Heero?" I heard Quatre shouting as he came running down the hall.

I pulled myself up into a chair, setting my laptop in front of me and pulling up the software.

"I'm right here," I told him as I entered in the numbers and letters still on my hand.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked me, hurrying up to me.

"Bomb went off," I stated as I watched the bomb squad run by and try and put out the small fire.

"Well I figured that out! I mean how?" he clarified.

"I don't—" I started, but was cut off by my computer telling me I had an email.

I opened it quickly and saw it was a video link. I knew what it was for. Hesitantly, I opened the link.

The sight made my heart stop and tears sting in my eyes. Guilt overwhelmed me. I had let this happen. I hadn't been able to protect the one thing in this world that I cared about.

Duo was chained by his wrists and suspended from a pipe just like I had been. But I noticed the killer had gone to the extent of chaining down Duo's legs as well. The only visible wound I could see was a knife wound his side. Taking a closer look, I spotted the burn marks on the chains above his wrists. He had shocked Duo.

He had a look of horror on his face as if… as if the man had just pushed a detonator, I realized with a start. So that's why the bomb had gone off. The man had detonated it. But how did Duo know it was a real bomb? If I was in his place and had just watched him push a button, I would've assumed it was just a bluff and that it was a fake detonator, and that the killer was just looking for a reaction out of me. And I was sure Duo would do the same thing. So why did Duo look so horrified? Only one explanation came to me. There weren't any monitors where the killer could've played the video feed of the explosion, so he had to have heard it. That meant he was close to the hospital. But then I realized something else. Duo was looking more than just shocked that a bomb had gone off. He was looking pained and guilty and… like he just lost something. He thought I was dead. The killer must've told him where the bomb was. I knew that look of his face, that way that he held himself in the chains… He had given up.

"No Duo! I'm alive! Keep fighting!" I begged him, wishing that I had some way to show him. I had to find him, that's how he'd know I was alive.

He looked like he was about to pass out and I hoped that he would. One, it would take away his pain, and two, this guy didn't torture his victims while they were unconscious because he liked to watch their reactions. Suddenly, the man walked forward and plunged a knife into Duo's other side, slowly pushing it deeper into his skin. I gasped slightly, my hand flying to my mouth. Was this what it was like for Duo to be watching this when it was me? The pain I was feeling now was just as bad if not worse than the actual torture. Watching the man I loved being mutilated by a beast was almost too much to bear. That's when I realized that, without even knowing it, the man was torturing both of us at the same time.

I needed to find Duo now, before that man could do anything else to Duo. I had an advantage though, I realized. I knew how this guy worked. I knew where he liked to hide. I knew that he liked proximity alarms and areas he could make an easy escape. He wouldn't get away this time, because we'll be prepared.

"I don't want you passing out on me again. That takes too much time away from the torture," the man explained to Duo.

Duo looked up then, and spit in the man's face. I smiled at his rebellion, but then it disappeared quickly when the man's fist came into Duo's face. The next blow landed in Duo's stomach, forcing the air out of him. The man was mad and I was afraid of what he could do to Duo. My heart jumped into my throat when he pulled out a gun and took off the safety.

"No you bastard! You're supposed to give us twenty four hours!" I yelled at the screen.

I looked away as I he aimed the gun at Duo. When the shot sounded, I cringed, shutting my eyes and trying to hold back the tears. But then I heard Duo cry out in pain and I turned to see that the man had just shot him in the knee. I exhaled a sharp sigh of relief and pulled up the software to run the license plate number, keeping the video up and running.

As I put out the BOLO on the van and entered the series of letters and numbers, I listened to the sound still playing from the video. Once I started the search, I pulled up the video and frowned in confusion as I saw the killer wrapping Duo's leg.

"What the hell is he doing?" Quatre asked, walking up behind me and handing me a set of hospital issue sweats.

"I don't—"

"I don't want you bleeding out before your time is up. So I need to keep your bleeding to a minimal," he killer explained to Duo, and unknowingly us.

The killer looked at the wounds on Duo's sides, then dismissed them. He walked over to his box and pulled out a large whip. A whip I recognized all too well. The PTSD was right there, ready to flare up, but my overwhelming fear and pain and guilt about Duo's situation kept it down.

"I really like this one. The pain is stinging and it lingers. I like that," he grinned evilly as he walked around Duo, then cracked the whip at his back.

I cringed at the all too familiar sound. Duo's back arched and a groan escaped his lips. He whimpered in pain, then the whip cracked again, seeming to retrace its previous path. Duo's cry of pain seemed to confirm that thought. I clenched my fists in furry as the man continued to whip Duo over and over again. I didn't want to watch, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the screen. The man then moved around Duo and gave him an X shaped slash almost exactly the same as mine.

"So I really wish I didn't have to resort to explosives to finally kill Yuy. I would have much rather killed him personally. But you know, I like the thought of explosives. It's a very painful, messy—" the killer started.

"Shut up!" Duo cut him off, glaring at him with the look of a killer.

The killer flinched back slightly at the intense glare, but then relaxed again with a grin.

"Let me guess… He told you he loved you or whatnot after you saved him, right?" he asked Duo.

What was he getting at? What was the point of that question? Duo didn't answer, just continued to glare at him from under his long chestnut bangs.

"You realize that he doesn't really love you, right? He only _thinks_ he loves you because you saved his life. Well, what does it matter now. He's dead," the killer laughed.

"That's bullshit…" I scoffed, but then realized by the look on Duo's face that he believed it.

"No, Duo! Don't listen to him! I really do love you! I've always loved you!" I yelled, willing him to realize that.

I suddenly knew what the point of all this was. He was going for emotional torture, mental torture. And it was working. The look of utter pain and turmoil on Duo's face told me he was considering any truth to that statement. I ground my teeth. Why did he believe this asshole over me? I told him I loved him, didn't I? Why didn't he believe that? I was furious at that bastard for telling him these lies, but I also found that I was mad at Duo as well for believing him and doubting my love for him.

Duo bowed his head, obviously struggling to hide a physical reaction to those words. I wanted so bad to be there with him now, to convince him that I did love him, to make his pain go away.

"Oh, did I break your heart?" the killer asked him, faking sympathy as he approached Duo.

Duo looked up, then brought his head down on the killers with enough force to completely knock him unconscious. The man collapsed to the ground at Duo's feet.

"Fuck you," Duo snarled at him.

"Yes! That's using you're head, Duo!" Quatre chuckled.

I sighed with relief. Hopefully the killer will remain out of it for a while.

"Good job, Duo. Now don't do anything stupid until I can come and get you," I whispered to the screen.

"Did you get anything from the video?" Quatre asked me as I pulled up the search that was still running.

"Yeah. He's close by. I think he heard the blast. Hey!" I called to one of the bomb squad men as he walked by.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, hurrying up to the desk.

"How far do you think the sound waves of that blast would've carried?" I asked him.

"Well, it was a small explosive and was contained pretty well, so I'm guessing maybe half a mile to a mile. If you want I can run scenarios and find out," he offered.

"Do that. Now," I demanded and he pulled out a small computer, then I turned to Quatre. "Send a search and rescue team out. Have them start near the hospital and move their way out until we can find out our search parameters."

"Got it," he nodded and hurried off, pulling out his cell.

That was when the fire department showed up. They started immediately putting out the fire after the bomb squad confirmed that there were no more explosives. I turned my attention back to the BOLO. No hits had come up yet.

"I got it!" the bomb squad agent called, running up and showing me the image on his computer.

It was an animated map with the hospital in the middle. There was a flashing circle centering around the point of the blast. I ran the measurements and made the calculations.

"Thank you," I told him, dismissing him as I pulled out my cell and dialed Quatre.

"Winner," Quatre answered.

"Our parameter is .8 of a mile out of the blast zone. And tell the team to watch for proximity alarms," I told him.

"Got it," he answered, then I heard him talking to someone else before turning his attention back to me. "Are you alright, Heero?"

"What?" I asked, confused

"How are you holding up?"

"How am I holding up?" I snapped. "Duo has been kidnapped and is being tortured as we speak. He thinks I'm dead and that I never… that I never loved him… No I'm not alright, Quatre. But I will be as soon as I find him," I told him and hung up before he could respond.

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**Poor Duo and Heero... XD I should be able to post the next chapter tomorrow night. Well, please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Back to Duo! I like this chapter... hope you guys do too XD Enjoy!**

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Chapter 7

Duo POV

I heaved a huge sigh and felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. I no longer had to hide them from the man, and Heero wasn't watching any more, and Une… I don't really care about Une right now. I just need to… need to cry without fear of being judged. Heero was dead. I had caused his death. And… and he didn't love me.

A sob racked my body and I couldn't hold back the tears, didn't want to hold back the tears. My body and mind had both been taken to the limit and now they needed a release.

I looked around through my tears for anything I could use to get out of here. I wasn't concerned with escaping so I could live, I just wanted to kill the bastard slowly and painfully for killing Heero. Then maybe after I could take my own life? Heero might not have loved me, but I loved him and I didn't see any point in living in a world without him.

But it was pointless. I couldn't see anyway out of these cuffs. I did notice that I was on a pipe, and if I could manage to drop my weight on it, it could give or come unscrewed or something. But, when I took hold of the chains and tried to pull myself up, I realized that I had absolutely no slack on my ankles. As soon as I was able to lift up my body even an inch, the chains below me were pulling me back down.

But then I realize something. My lower left leg was covered in blood from when he had shot me in the knee. The blood had run down my leg and in between my ankle and the cuff. The cuffs were pretty loose and because of the slippery blood, I might be able to slip my foot out of the cuff. But that still left my other foot. I'd need to get him to cut or shoot that leg too. I exhaled sharply. This wasn't going to be easy.

And even more bad luck… the man woke up. He groaned and raised a hand to rub the large, bruised, bump on his forehead. He sat up and looked up at me.

"Why you…" he growled.

In one fluid motion, he stood, grabbed a large knife from behind him, and swung it around, slashing at my stomach. The knife ripped through my flesh, but it wasn't deep because of the distance between us. I clenched my teeth, hissing at the pain.

The man clamped down on his head. "Ugh, that hurt…" he complained.

I snorted. Since I wasn't worried about making it out of this alive, I didn't have to worry about not pissing him off anymore. "I think I know the feeling. What? You can't take what you dish out? How pathetic…"

His fist connected with my right cheekbone again. "Shut up!" he snarled, then flinched as what I guessed to be a huge headache flared.

"What? I'm just voicing my opinions. I just think that's incredibly weak for you to be torturing people so cruelly and maliciously if a simple bump on the head bothers you. Very… hypocritical? No… Evil? More like—"

"Shut up you little prick!" he yelled at me, but didn't hit me again.

I was getting to him. I had found his weak spot. He fed off of pain and suffering. He enjoyed delivering that pain. It made him feel in control, having his victim's lives in his hands. It made him feel powerful, hearing his victims cry out in pain and beg him to stop. I insulted that control, that power, by calling him weak and pathetic, and he couldn't take it. Even here, tied up in chains, practically immobile, defenseless and bleeding, I was showing him I was still stronger than him, rebellious, overpowering, and highly more superior to him. He was starting to doubt his control over me, his superiority, and it was confusing him.

"You know it's true," I grinned.

"Shut UP!" he growled, lunging at me with the knife.

During that entire time, I had been working on slipping my foot out of its cuff. The second he started to lunge at me, I jerked my foot out of the cuff, taking off a lot of skin, and kicked the knife from his grasp, then wrapped my leg around his neck. I pulled him down into my other leg so that my knee cap was digging into his throat. I ground my teeth as I squeezed his neck as hard as I can. The man clawed at my legs, my stomach, anything he could reach. Suddenly, his teeth were ripping through the material of my pants and into my skin. I cried out in pain as he ripped a piece of flesh off of my leg, but didn't loosen my grasp on his neck. His fingernails clawed and scratched at the gashes on my stomach, but still I refused to let go. Finally, the man's struggling began to cease.

My legs were getting tired and the struggling was tugging at my wrists and arms, threatening to break or dislocate something. He wasn't dieing fast enough. I tried to jerk my leg to the side so I could snap his neck, but my leg slipped from its grasp and he jerked free of me, falling backwards and gasping for breath.

"Damn," I mumbled, glaring at the man on the floor.

"How the hell did you do that?" he asked me.

"Do what?" I snapped back.

"Get your leg out of that restraint," he clarified, looking awed, yet angry at the same time.

"I'm not telling you!" I shot at him.

He shakily stood, rubbing his throat and still gasping for breath. He picked up a metal rod that was lying on the ground right next to him, probably wanting to use it to knock me out.

"Don't touch me!" I snarled at him.

He took a step closer to me and I swung my leg out at him, missing his chin by no more than an inch. He flinched backwards, but then walked around me and approached my back. I looked up, then down at my chains, then determined that I could spin in them. Using my free leg leverage, I swung it around and my heel connected with the side of his head, knocking him out instantly. He fell to the ground, the metal rod flying from his hand and skidding into the wall.

I exhaled sharply as I swung back around, my arms and wrists protesting painfully. I couldn't keep doing that all day. I was going to run out of strength eventually.

I felt the blood trickling down my other leg from where he had bit me. I used my free foot to smear the blood around the cuff, then, more gently than the last, I pulled it free. Now that both my legs were free, I called on all my strength to grab the chains above me and pull myself up. I let my weight drop straight onto the pipe. I hissed as the metal cuffs dung into my wrists, causing blood to flow down my arms. I looked up at the pipe to see if I had caused any damage. Nothing. I swallowed the pain and hoisted myself up again. This time, instead of letting my weight fall onto the cuffs, I kept a firm grasp on the chains. I let my weigh fall back onto the pipe again, keeping my hold on the chains. The tough metal ripped into the soft flesh of my palms and I gritted my teeth in pain. But this time, the metal pipe groaned.

It was a relief, but I couldn't do this anymore. I was already bleeding profusely and if I did it any more, the bleeding might become too intense and I could bleed out. I needed to wait for my blood to clot and cease before I could try that again.

I looked down at the unconscious man and grinned. I had hit him hard and he was completely out of it. Hopefully, he'd remain out of it long enough for me to get out of these restraints. Then I'll show him what happens when you mess with Shinigami.

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**He's gonna get it now! Yay for Shinigami! XD Please review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the reviews last night! *loves all of you* XD Here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 8

Heero POV

The BOLO wasn't getting any hits. I was getting frustrated. Right now we had men running a .8 mile search radius around the hospital with absolutely no leads. Normally, given this guys twenty four hour time limit, I wouldn't have been at all worried about finding Duo in time. But Duo had given up hope of making it out alive, was probably counting on dying. He was being overly cocky and rebellious and most likely challenging this mans superiority. He was guaranteeing a shortened timetable.

I turned my attention back to the video feed.

Duo's tears were visible. It made my heart clench and my anger towards the perp multiply. He wasn't worried about holding back his emotions now that the man was knocked out. I wished so bad that I could be there with him, holding him, reassuring him that I was alive and that I loved him. I reached out to the screen and lightly ran my fingers over Duo's sobbing form.

He lifted his head then and started to look around the room. Maybe his hope wasn't gone, I prayed. He took a good look at the pole above his head. I knew he was considering what I had attempted before. But I had waited until after twenty four hours of torture to try. Duo had only been there for about an hour. He still had strength in him and could probably manage to get himself loose.

He tried it then. He grasped at the chains above his head and tried to lift his body. But the chains holding his feet to the floor stopped him. I exhaled sharply. Damn.

"Keep trying Duo. Don't give up," I begged of him as I pulled up the BOLO to check it quickly.

When I pulled Duo's video feed back up, he was staring intently at his feet, and I could see his mind working, a plan forming. I couldn't tell what he was considering, but I hoped that it would be enough.

Then, the man started to stir.

"Damn," I cursed, my jaw working.

The man groaned, then raised a head to the nasty bump on his forehead. I grinned at the obvious pain he was feeling. He forced himself upright and looked up at Duo.

"Why you…" he growled at him, his eyes full of furry.

And, if I had blinked I would've missed it, he stood, snatched a huge knife from the floor behind him, then swung around and sliced open Duo's stomach. I gasped involuntarily, but then relaxed slightly when I realized that the man had been too far away to cause too much damage.

Duo hissed in pain, folding in on himself as much as the chains allowed. The man was rubbing at his head.

"Ugh, that hurt…" he whined.

Pathetic, I thought, remembering all the excruciating pain I had endured under his hand. Duo, obviously thinking the same thing, snorted.

"I think I know the feeling," he mocked at him. "What? You can't take what you dish out? How pathetic…"

"Duo, watch yourself," I warned him.

The man's fist connected with Duo's cheek.

"Shut up!" he snarled at Duo, then flinched. He probably had a headache. Good. That would make him a little disoriented and confused. He wouldn't go into too heavy of torture like that. Hopefully…

"What? I'm just voicing my opinions," Duo continued to rant, always rebellious. "I just think that's incredibly weak for you to be torturing people so cruelly and maliciously if a simple bump on the head bothers you. Very… hypocritical? No… Evil? More like—"

I liked that the man was getting completely told off by his victim, but I knew that all this was going to have serious consequences for Duo.

"Shut up you little prick!" he yelled at Duo, but didn't hit him again. He was getting confused with the fact that the victim had taken control over the torturer.

Duo could see that too. He could see that he had pricked the right nerve. This was good. He knew how to put his attacker off guard now, out of his element. He was taking away the one thing his torturer needed. Control.

I had been noticing that ever sense the man woke up, Duo had been fidgeting with his left ankle. I knew he was trying to do something, that it wasn't the pain, but I couldn't tell what that something was.

"You know it's true," Duo grinned, getting over cocky. That over cockiness was going to get Duo into a lot of trouble.

And what happened next confirmed that guess.

"Shut UP!" the man growled and lunged forward with the knife.

My breath caught, but then I nearly laughed in relief as Duo yanked his blood soaked foot out of the cuff and kicked the knife from the killer's hand. That's what he had been doing. He had been trying to slide his foot, slick with blood, out of the cuff. It worked and before the man could take in what was happening, Duo wrapped his leg around his throat. He pulled his leg down towards his other leg, forcing the man's jugular into Duo's knee cap. The man clawed at him, scratching at wounds and at anything he could reach. Duo gritted his teeth against the pain and concentrated on keeping his grip. I cringed at the obvious pain this was causing him.

Duo's cry of pain startled me. I looked closer and saw that the man had his teeth in Duo's leg. He ripped off a chunk of flesh and I grimaced. Duo didn't loosen his grip though. His leg remained tight around the guy's neck and his struggling started to cease.

"Keep holding him, Duo…" I warned, remembering how when I had choked him he hadn't died as quickly as I had expected him to.

But Duo was getting weak. It was obvious. And he was in considerable pain in his arms and wrists from the struggle against the chains. His grip was slipping. He frowned, realizing this as well, then jerked his leg to the side to try and snap his neck, a last ditch effort before he ran out of strength.

I waited, praying for that telltale snap of a breaking neck. But I didn't hear it. Duo's grip on the man's neck slipped and he managed to jerk free of Duo's leg. He fell backwards and scrambled away from Duo, struggling to catch his breath. Judging by the way he was fighting for breath and how pale he was, he had been so close to dying.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath at the same time Duo did.

"How the hell did you do that?" he asked Duo once he had gotten air back into his lungs.

"Do what?" Duo snapped back.

"Get your leg out of that restraint," the killer clarified, looking awed, yet clearly pissed off.

"I'm not telling you!" Duo shot back at him. Good. He needed to keep that information from his torturer.

The man shakily stood, rubbing his throat and still breathing heavily. He turned to his box and picked up a metal rod, a rod I recognized. He was going to knock Duo out and put him back in his restraints.

"Don't touch me!" Duo snarled at the man when he moved to approach him.

He took a step closer to Duo, ignoring his warning. Duo swung his leg out at him and missed the man's chin by hardly an inch. The killer flinched backwards, clearly afraid of Duo. He stayed clear of Duo's reach as he walked around him. He was going to hit him from the back. Duo realized that and took a quick look at his chains. He used his free leg as leverage and I sat in shock as he was able to spin his body around and connect a textbook kick to the side of the man's head, knocking him unconscious immediately.

"Good job, Duo," I whispered to him as the man collapse to the ground.

I pulled up the BOLO. Still no hits. I pulled out my cell as I turned back to the video feed and called Quatre. As I waited for his answer, I watched as Duo used his own blood to ease his other foot out of the restraints.

"Winner," Quatre answered.

"Status?" I demanded.

"Search team is still looking. No new leads. Anything from the video?"

"No. Duo managed to knock out his attacker again. He is amazing," I told him, nothing but pride and admiration in my voice.

"I know. You make sure he knows that too when we get him back," Quatre warned me.

"Of course. How far has the search party gotten?" I asked nervously.

Even though I was hoping that Duo could get himself out, I was half praying that he wouldn't, that he'd wait until we got to him. He thought I was dead and that I had never really loved him. I didn't know his metal state at the moment. Was he suicidal? I sure as hell hoped not.

"We've eliminated about half a dozen blocks surrounding the hospital," he told me.

"Only half a dozen?"

Duo was trying to use his weight against the pipe now. He had already tried once, nearly popping off his wrists. He tried a second time, slicing his palms open in attempts to save his wrists. The pipe groaned, but didn't give.

"It's slow moving, Heero. We need to sweep for proximity and motion sensors, watch for signs of suspicion, inspect every building, and clear every block. If you want to come help, the more men the better," he told me.

"I will in a minute. I'm still sitting on this BOLO. Have you joined the group?" I asked him.

"Yes. Along with Trowa, Fei, Sally, and every other desk jockey and free agent in Preventers," he told me.

I sighed in relief. It felt good that we were getting so much help, that so many people wanted Duo back safely.

"Tell them all thanks for me," I told him. "I'll be out to help as soon as I get something to work with. Call me if you get any leads."

"Of course. And same goes for you."

"Thanks Quatre."

"Oh and Heero? Don't push yourself. You're still injured," he warned.

"No guarantees," I told him, then hung up.

Duo was getting tired. He couldn't fight against the pipe any longer. I sighed, but was somewhat grateful. I liked him there where I could keep an eye on him. At least while the man was unconscious. Hopefully we were close to finding him and the killer would remain out until we could get to him.

Suddenly, my computer beeped. I pulled up the BOLO search and it had a hit. A satellite image popped up onto the screen of the van parked behind an old abandoned house. I was up and moving immediately, ignoring the painful protests of my legs and letting my adrenaline carry me.

I whipped out my cell and dialed Quatre.

"I got a location," I told him, then relayed the address before hanging up and asking a security guard if I could borrow his cruiser.

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**Yay for Heero. So I don't know how many chapters are left. Two or three maybe... but I need to make lots of changes so I'll post as soon as I get those done. Please review and give me suggestions, cause I love hearing them XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**So thanks for all the suggestions! I did a lot of edits and changes. I completely rewrote the end and like it a lot better now XD Well, enjoy! I love this chapter XD**

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Chapter 9

Duo POV

There was blood running down my arms. Maybe I could try and do the same thing with my wrists that I did with my feet? No, these cuffs were way tighter since they had to hold me up off the ground. There was no way I could get my wrists out of that without ripping off my thumbs.

I exhaled sharply and looked around the room again. I couldn't find anything that could help me get out of here. My only chance it seemed was to break this pipe, hopefully allowing me to slide the chains off.

But did I want to escape? No. I wanted to switch places with the jackass lying unconscious behind me. I wanted to stick him in these chains and torture him until I feel that he's gotten what he deserved. Then I'd kill him and follow closely behind.

I looked back up at the pipe. It curved about five feet away from where I was hanging and it went up into the ceiling. That's where it would be the weakest, where the two parts were connected. I needed to get myself over there, then try and use my weight to break it loose.

I grabbed the chains in my hands again, ignoring the searing pain in my palms. I hoisted myself up and grabbed hold of the metal pipe. Then, I swung hand over hand, sliding the chain as I moved down the pipe. It was slow moving because my hands were slippery with blood and searing with pain because of the gashes. I was only a foot to two feet across when the man groaned and sat up quickly.

"Don't move!" I yelled at him.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he complained, rubbing his head.

"I knocked you out. And I'll do it again if you come anywhere near me!" I threatened him.

"How the hell did you manage that?"

"You underestimated me. I'm a trained Gundam Pilot," I shot back at him.

"What about Yuy. He wasn't able to fight back," he countered.

"No, he was definitely able to. He just didn't. It was because he had something to live for. What, I'm not sure I know the answer to that. But me… You took away my only reason to make it out of here alive, so I'm not too worried about fighting back," I snapped at him, continuing down the pipe.

I heard the guy stand and I used my hands to spin myself around. "Don't come any closer!"

He put up his hands in a surrendering gesture. There was nothing I could do to keep him from walking around me though and towards the box. He drew a huge knife and I spun back around just in time to see him lunge at me with it. I managed to connect one foot to his arm, but it didn't knock the knife from his grasp. I brought my other foot up and kicked him hard in the gut. He fell backwards and I hurried to reach the end of the pipe. He stood back up just as I reached the end and he jumped at me again.

All in one motion, I dropped my weight onto the pipe and swung out a leg to connect with his arm and send the knife flying. The pipe creaked and I heard something snap, but it didn't give all the way. I tried it again quickly as the man picked back up the knife. This time the pipe snapped free of the ceiling and I was falling along with the pipe.

My left leg gave out underneath me, but my right held me up. I pulled the chains free from the dangling pipe and turned to face my attacker.

He wasn't giving up yet. The short about hour and a half he had with me he knew wasn't long enough for anyone to find him yet. And it seemed like we were in some sort of basement, so the sounds or our fighting weren't going to reach anybody. That was probably the only reason he wasn't fleeing. And I doubt he was going to try and kill me. He still had twenty two plus hours with me. He was going to try and knock me out, then reattach my chains to one of the other pipes. I needed to get a weapon.

One problem though. A crazy psychotic freak and a huge ass knife stood in between me and that chest. My wrists were bound by two feet of chain, one was crippled, the other having a hard time holding my weight, both my wrists were damaged severely, my arms were numb and near useless because of how they had been positioned for the last hour and a half, and my left leg was having a damned hard time holding my weight. This was going to be near impossible. My opponent was healthy, well not in the mind but physically, he had ample weapons, and a psychotic drive. I wasn't going to win. But I was going to try anyway, because I had nothing to lose anymore.

I wait for him to make the first move, but he just stood there, blocking me from both the box and the door. He was grinning wickedly at me, testing the weight of his blade. I needed to wait for him to make the first move, to make the mistake, but it didn't seem like he was going to move. He wasn't going to risk losing his position near the weapons and the escape.

Perhaps I could trick a move out of him? I tried by mocking a lunge, but he just simply gripped his knife and took a defensive position. _Come on you idiot! Attack me!_ I wanted to scream at him. Well, there was another way to trick him into acting. Provoke him.

"What? Too afraid of a bound cripple to attack me?" I mocked him.

He growled at me, raising his knife. "You told me I had underestimated you, and it is obvious that I had, so I'm not going to make that mistake again."

I shrugged. "What have you got to lose?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe my life? You don't seem too concerned about losing yours, so I don't want to risk going down with you."

"Whimp," I teased.

"What did you say to me?"

"Oh nothing. I just think that you're a coward," I told him with another shrug.

"I am not!"

"But you are," I countered. It was working. I was getting on his nerves. He was going to make a move.

He growled at me, then lunged. I managed to block the knife with a swing of my chains. But he grabbed the chains and flipped me onto my back. I managed to get my feet under me and stand, but it was too late. He had my chains in a firm grip in one hand and the knife pressed up to my throat with the other.

I smiled my Shinigami smile at him and brought my knee up into his groin, then ducked quickly away before he could do anything with the knife. Taking advantage of the fact that he had wrapped the chains around his hands to help keep his grip on them, I spun around and flipped him over my shoulder. He lost his grip on my chains at the same time as his back slammed into the hard concrete. He gasped for breath as I put a foot to his throat.

His eyes were wide, panicking. He had lost his knife and his hold on my chains. He had nothing to fight back with. He knew it was over for him.

"You are about to find out what happens to people who mess with Shinigami," I growled at him as he struggled and clawed at my already bloody foot. "But I do want you to know… Although everything I'm going to do to you will be an act of revenge, I won't be avenging what you did to me. No, I'll be avenging everything you did to Heero."

It would've been so easy to just kill him right now. Kill him and get it over with. Just a little bit more pressure on his throat. But I couldn't let him off so easy.

The man finally passed out and I released the pressure from his throat. I fished around in his pockets until I found the keys to my cuffs. I locked one to one of his wrists, but the frowned as I looked up at the other pipes on the ceiling. There was no way I'd be able to lift him up to those in the state I was in. But there were metal pipes and hooks all over the walls. I could use one of those.

I dragged his unconscious body over to the wall facing the camera and sat him with his back against a pipe, then wrapped the chain behind it and attached the other cuff.

I turned then for the box. It was full of all sorts of evil torture devices. All stuff I recognized from the walls in the warehouse where Heero had been tortured.

"This is going to be fun," I smiled and grabbed a large knife from the chest.

I limped back over to the man and looked down at him as I twirled the knife in between my fingers. I could tell by watching his pulse beat in his neck that he was regaining consciousness. But, he kept his eyes closed.

"Wake up!" I yelled at him. I could tell he was awake.

"Fine then," I smiled when he refused to listen.

I stepped in front of him and jammed the knife into his side, careful to miss vital organs and arteries.

He cried out in pain, his eyes flying open. Tears streamed down his eyes and he cried like a baby as I pulled the knife out of his flesh.

I laughed outright at him. "How pathetic."

He growled at me behind his tears and I laughed again, ignoring the pain in my sides.

"Now, let's get onto the more fun stuff," I grinned at him, pulling out his whip.

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**Yay for Duo! XD So there is only one more chapter... *cries* I really liked writing this fic. Please review and I'll have the last chapter posted by tomorrow night :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Awww! Last chapter! *cires* Thanks for all the reviews guys! *feels very loved* Enjoy the last chapter!**

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Chapter 10

Heero POV

I reached the house at the same time Quatre and the SWAT team did.

"Did you sweep for proximity alarms?" I asked as they got out of the van.

"Yes. There are none. He probably hasn't had the time to set them up and he probably didn't think we'd get here this quick," Quatre answered.

"Perfect. I'm going in lead," I demanded.

One of the men tossed me a bullet proof vest and I slipped it on as I ran towards the door. I opened it quickly but quietly, not wanting to alert the man to our presence. I half hoped he was still knocked out. The house was empty.

"Check for a basement," I told them in a hushed voice.

In the closet under the staircase, I found it. It was a set of stairs leading down to a small landing, then another door right there. I heard the SWAT team behind me as I took a deep breath, then raised my foot and smashed in the door.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The man was chained to the wall, blood dripping from a bunch of whip mark, knife wounds, gunshot wounds, and many more I couldn't identify. Duo had a set of pliers in his hands and was in the process of copying my wounds onto his stomach.

My PTSD went crazy. Seeing the man, the familiar basement, bloody weapons, and very similar wounds all together nearly set it off. I focused on Duo's face, trying to force it away.

"Aw come on guys! Give me a few more…" Duo trailed off when he turned and saw me. "Heero…"

Both he and the man looked at me as if they were seeing a ghost and Duo stood shakily, the blood soaked pliers falling with a clatter to the ground.

As much as I wanted to paint the wall with the asshole's brains, I found that I didn't want him dead. I wanted him locked up for life in an eight by ten cell.

"Take him into custody," I demanded, gesturing to the man and holstering my weapon.

Duo looked like he was seeing a ghost. I ran up to him and took him in my arms, whispering soothing words in his ear.

"I-I thought that you were… were dead," he stuttered.

"I wasn't in the room," I told him, then pressed my lips firmly to his.

He pulled away from me and looked down at his feet, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"It's okay, Heero," he murmured. "You don't have to pretend for me anymore."

I grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at me. But he refused to make eye contact with me.

"Look at me, Duo," I demanded and he obeyed. "Do you really believe that prick over me? After all those times that I told you I loved you? I wasn't lying. And I wasn't saying it because I felt I owed you for saving my life. I really meant it. And I still do. I love you, Duo. Why can't you believe that?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he pulled me into him, fusing his lips back to mine.

"Sorry I doubted you," he whispered in my ear after he pulled away. "I won't do it again."

"Good. Now let's get you to the hospital before you pass out on me," I told him.

I pulled one of Duo's arms over my shoulder and helped him hop up the stairs and to the waiting ambulance. I climbed in with them and collapsed back onto the metal bench. All my adrenaline was wearing off and my legs were getting shaky. I was definitely starting to feel the pain of running around on them for the past couple hours. My doctor wasn't going to be happy with me.

…

"Will you calm down?" I asked Duo in exasperation.

Duo was pacing around the hallway in his crutches, looking very nice in his back suit. Duo and I just testified against our torturer and they had kicked us out while the verdict was presented. It had been difficult for the both of us to face our torturer, but it had been satisfying. We just hoped it had been enough, and that this man was going away. The man was also being tried for the twenty one murders he had committed.

"I can't! I tortured him back! What if that makes the jury sympathetic to him? What if they don't convict him? What if it wasn't enough? What if he—"

I cut him off by walking up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist, forcing him to stop his nervous pacing.

It had been about five weeks since I had rescued Duo and all of his wounds were healed except for the gunshot wound to his knee. I could just make out the bulge of a cast under the pant leg of his suit. He did have a bunch of scars, as did I, but at least he hadn't developed PTSD like I had. I had a permanent limp, but it was hardly noticeable most times.

The trial had been very quick. Usually murder trials took a long tome to go through, but after only five weeks, the trial was over and all we were waiting for now was a verdict.

"It will be enough. The jury will see what you did as self defense. And besides, he sent us video feed of himself torturing us. We have him," I reassured him.

"But he was wearing a mask and a hood! You couldn't see his face! It might—"

I cut him off again by walking around him and pressing my lips to his.

"Don't worry about it, Duo. It'll be fine," I promised him.

Just then the prosecutor walked out of the court room and approached us. Duo turned around and bit his lip.

"Well, good news. He was convicted to serve a twenty five to life sentence for each count of murder, and twenty five years for each counts of kidnap and torture," she smiled at us. "It's all to be served consecutively, not concurrently, so he's never getting out."

Duo let out a huge sigh and turned to me, wrapping his arms around my waist, nearly dropping his crutches.

"What did I tell you?" I laughed.

"I know, I was just a little nervous."

"A little?" I joked.

"Well you men are free to go. Thanks for your help. We wouldn't have been able to convict him without you," the prosecutor smiled, shaking each of our hands before heading back into the courtroom.

"Have I told you how nice you look in a suit yet?" Duo asked me as we headed down the hall.

"No, but I know how nice you look in a suit."

He rolled his eyes at me and then looked thoughtful. "Are you okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you seemed really nervous and jumpy in the court room. I was afraid your PTSD was reacting because you were near the man," Duo pointed out.

"I'll admit I was a little nervous, but you were there with me, so I was able to keep myself calm enough to testify," I told him honestly.

It was quiet for a while as we walked out of the courthouse and towards our car.

"Thank you," he suddenly told me.

"For what?"

"For saving me. I was pretty sure I could get out of there on my own, but may plans after I tortured him were to… to kill myself. I didn't think I had anyone to live for anymore. I thought you were dead."

I turned and pulled him into me, not sure what to say to him.

"Well I'm glad I found you before you were able to do that," was all I could think to say.

He nodded into my shoulder and took a deep breath, then pulled away from me.

"Let's get out of here. I'm all to ready to get on with my life and leave that prick behind," he mumbled.

"Our life," I corrected him.

"Of course," he smiled back at me.

-Owari

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**Yay for life in a six by eight solitary confinement prison cell! XD I wanted Duo and Heero to kill the stupid bastard, but that wouldn't have been very Preventer like of them, so this works too. Hoped you liked it! And yes, it is really over. No more sequels or threequels or whatever four is... Well, I had so much fun writing this. Thank you all for reading and special thanks and hugs to all of you who reviewed! Until next time!**

**-Tenshi out**


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